Permanent way of railways.



H. A. RUGERONI.

PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30 1917.

Patented June 26, 191?.

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UNETED %TATE% PATENT @Fh llfim HECTOR AURELIUS RUGERONI, OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS.

Application filed January 30, 191 '7.

T all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, Hncrou Aunnnrus RUGERON I, a citizen of the Argentine Republic, residing at Buenos Aires, (whose postoflice address is Bella Vista, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and elating to the Permanent \Vay of Hallways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in the permanent way of railways and the like, and has for its object to provide a simple, cheap and efficient sheet metal cover for the road bed and support for the rails of railways and the like, whereby the usual ballast and the usual separately formed sleepers or ties heretofore employed are eliminated, the construction and arrangements according to this invention being further such that a railway or the like can be easily and rapidly laid down.

The present invention consists essentially of sheet metal units each unit formed integrally with one or more corrugations or channel shaped portions extending in a di rection transversely to the rails, at least one of said corrugations or channel shaped portions of a unit forming a support for the rails (which may be secured to the said support in any convenient manner), and each unit is preferably so formed at its end or ends as to overlap or engage the end of the next or adjacent unit, the construction and arrangements being such that when the required number of units are laid down on the road bed they form a continuous sheet metal surface or cover for the road bed and support for the rails.

Further in one construction of the sheet metal units according to this invention each unit is formed with two or more of the above mentioned corrugations or channel shaped portions each unit thus having a plurality of such channel shaped portions forming rail supports with a channel shaped portion or corrugation between adjacent rail supports. Further according to this invention the alune-mentioned sheet metal units are so formed as to insure efficient shedding of rainwater, for which purpose each unit is formed so as to hav a suitable fall from the center transversely to the sides of the unit.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 191?,

Serial No. 145,426.

Further according to this invention, each of the above mentioned channel shaped portlons forming the rail supports has formed 111 it, in the course of nnuiufacture (for instance by stamping), a projection or corrugation for the purpose of strengthening or increasing the stiffness of these portions, and such projection or corrugation is preferably of such form as to divert rainwater from the surfaces of the said rail supports into the channels on either side before it reaches the suitably formed portions of the support on which the rails are mounted. Further the sheet metal units are preferably so formed that their sides parallel to the rails are depressed or slope downwardly so as to confine the earth or the lik forming the road bed beneath the sheet metal units? Each of the above mentioned sheet metal units is stamped or pressed out of a sheet of steel or iron of uniform thickness and of awidth suitable to the gage of the railwav.

The invention further consists in sheet metal units formed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes hereinafter described with reference to the accompany mg drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention andin which,

Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of railway or tramway track with sheet metal units accorcling to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a crosssection on line AB Fig. l, but drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view partly in section, and on a larger scale than Fig. 1. showing the manner of uniting the various units to form a continuous rail support and cover for the road bed.

Like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the drawings.

As shown in the drawings each sheet metal unit is formed so that it has a plurality of corrugations or channel shaped portions 1 and 2, each unit being of such a length, measured parallel to the rails (shown by broken lines) as to afford easy handling. I

The depth of the corrugations or channels 1 is made such as to provide adequate transverse stiffness, and these channels and the channel shaped portions 2 are so proportioned as to provide the desired amount of contact between the rails and the upper surface of the said corrugations or channel shaped portions 2 of the unit.

The connection between the sheet metal units takes the form of a simple lap joint the Ill) end portion of one unit being bent down and fitting freely over the end portion of the ad.- j acent unit which is bent up to meet it, as shown at 3 in Fig. 3. This joint may be slotted and mated by stamping, or secured by wedges, pins, bolts or other means for special cases of service, but under ordinary conditions the simple lap joint shown is all that is required for continuity and expansion.

l/Vith the lap joint as shown at 3 lifting or jacking up of the track, as may be necessary for the purposes of repair, is facilitated. Sufficient freedom or play is left between the upwardly and downwardly bent parts of adjacent units, forming the joint at 3, to provide for radial play or adjustment of the units on curves.

Transversely to the rails each unit is given a suitable fall from the center to the sides as illustrated in Fig. 2, thus insuring immediate shedding of rainwater. The rail contact surfaces f of the portions 2 are, however, made horizontal, or these surfaces may be canted inward if desired. 5 is a projection or corrugation stamped in each of the channel shaped portions 2, during the manufacture of the units, with the object of increasing the stiffness of this portion as well as diverting rainwater into the channels 1 before it reaches the rail seats 4. A suitable form of the corrugations or projections 5, for the purposes mentioned, is clearly shown in the plan view Fig. 1. Also, with the object of confining the road bed beneath the sheet metal units, the sides of each unit are depressed as shown at 6 Figs. 1 and At suitable intervals suitable fastenings for the rails are provided. These fastenings, as shown, are clip and spike fastenings, 7, 7, there being at least two of these fastenings (one for each rail as shown in Fig. 2) on each corrugated sheet metal unit, these fastenings being preferably provided on the portion 2 of the unit adjacent the joint 3 as showifin Fig. 3. Any other suitable fastening for the rails may be employed.

With the system of sheet metal units above described distribution of axle loads over practically the whole road bed is obtained, and effective shedding of rainwater from the permanent way and road bed is insured.

I'Vhen slacks occur their removal may be effected by jacking up the depressed parts of units, throwing or pushing fine earth or sand under the same, and allowing the unit to-take its new bed. All panning is obviated. It will also be clearly seen that grass troubles and cost of keeping the same down are eliminated, and that the necessity to stone ballast earth tracks will be postponed for alconsiderable period and possibly eliminatec.

Rails supported upon intermittent sleep track is obtained at a greatly reduced cost by this means, the above described sheet metal units forming practically a continuous support for the rails.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a road bed, a metallic plate provided with two series of corrugations of unequal width arranged alternately, the corrugations open at the bottom and extending upwardly being adapted to support rails and being relatively of much greater width than the corrugations which are open at the top and which form water channels, the tops of the first said corrugations being downwardly inclined from their middle parts between the rail seats toward their side portions.

2. In a road bed, a metallic plate provided with two series of corrugations of unequal width arranged alternately, the corrugations open at the bottom and extending upwardly being adapted to support rails and being relatively of much greater width than the corrugations which are open at the top and which form water channels, the tops of the first said corrugations being downwardly inclined from their middle parts between the rail seats toward their side portions and being provided with reinforcing projections pressed upwardly from their middle parts and extending crosswise of the plates parallel to their corrugations.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my a signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HECTOR AURELIUS RUGERONI.

Witnesses R. FRED. RUMBALL, I

W. H. LEWIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

